Motivation
by 2Nerdzz
Summary: The Fall of Mistral was a failure, Ozpin is back and he he's using children to fight. In a moment of rage Salem takes a moment to remember why she's fighting.


"He's already reincarnated?" Salem spoke with her eyes closed. Anger began to boil through her as her followers sat around the table.

"Yes," Hazel answered in his low voice. "And we lost Cinder," he added. Salem balled her hand up into a fist and breathed shaky breaths.

"Leave," Salem ordered.

"But my queen," Tyrian whimpered knowing full well what would happen if he questioned Salem's order.

"Leave!" Salem's voice sliced through the air with ease. Her anger was showing and her followers knew well enough that they should not push her further. Hazel and Watts stood and began to walk out the door, but Hazel stopped and waited to ensure Tyrian left as well.

"He's also using children now," Hazel's voice was gentle, and carried a heavy weight with it. Without saying a world more Hazel left leaving Salem alone.

Snapping her eyes open she slammed her fist down onto the table with a loud thud. It was shocking that nothing was broken, but Salem's anger wasn't satisfied. Getting to her feet Salem walked away from the table she occupied. Her steps were between a pace and a stomp, her bare feet hitting the ground with a force that allowed small parts of her anger out. It would take a long while before her anger would eventually go away. And her followers understood that completely. One does not simply make Salem mad. Doing so is a death wish, or worse.

"Having children fight for you now Ozpin," her tongue was sharp and stung the air around her. "Is this your final resort? Children? You're more disgusting than I thought. First you start this war, and now you pull kids into it. Kids!"

Salem's anger for Ozpin was unmatched, and everyone knew that. They all knew it was Ozpin's fault the grimm exist, that is was his fault humans and faunus had fallen to ruins. And most of all, they all understood why Salem did what she did.

As a mother, Salem knew she could never forgive Ozpin for what he did.

Closing her eyes once more Salem let out a shaky breath. "You made these monsters, and now you can't even take responsibility for it," she growled. "First it was my daughter, and now you steal away more."

The thought of her daughter pained Salem. She was never given a true chance in life because of Ozpin, never given the chance to grow up as a normal child. Or as normal as a child of Salem could have, but no. Ozpin had to use his hatred as fuel his actions against her daughter. His hatred that would later fuel Salem, and other grimm in the world. Hatred that created the monsters he so desperately wanted to destroy.

"You stupid old man," Salem added as she looked out over her land. Thick black puddle began producing more grimm. "Just give me my daughter back."

A daughter that was stolen from her. A daughter that started it all. A daughter that Salem couldn't mother. A daughter that was hated for simply existing.

Memories began to take Salem as she thought about her child. About a life she had once been so hopeful for. And that life that was stolen from her. When she was young she didn't think that she would become what she is, and looking back, Salem should have never become what she is. She should have been long gone, peacefully resting alongside her partner. But instead she was still alive, trying to avenge her daughter.

Salem wondered for a moment how her child might have looked if she had been given a chance. How many faunus traits the child picked up from her father. What color would her eyes be, her hair color. Would she be a good person or would she take the hatred hurled at her and become filled with it.

Salem paused, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes as Ozpin's words echoed through her. " _We are above these beings, and yet you went and fell in love with one! We were suppose to bring a new age to this world, and you're here creating monsters! Being with a human is bad enough but a Faunus? Something subhuman to create that_ _ **thing**_ _!"_ His words still stung.

" _It doesn't even deserve to look like us,"_ his hatred for them took hold. Salem remembered how his calm green eyes were filled with rage and hatred. Hatred that he then poured into the small child that Salem held. The way her child contorted and shifted. Her red eyes became darker, and began to glow. The black tar that began to cover her body as a bone white mask covered her face. Salem out of fear dropped her child which landed on all fours. Salem heard the bones break and remend in new angles. Her tears flowed fast as she fell to her knees. Her young daughter, her beloved child, was growling like a beast. The bone white mask now held red lines that crossed and crossed around the eyes and nose of the child. Even if not that many faunus traits were present in the child one could tell what her faunus heritage was. More bone white spikes began to form on the back of the child. A small but monstrous tiger stood before the two god like beings.

Salem was quick to exact revenge on Ozpin for what he had done, smiting him then and there, but also placing another curse on him to ensure he would pay for eternity. Her child however, the beast the stood before her on all fours. To rescue her child Salem would have to sacrifice something more. She would have to sacrifice herself to allow her child to even have a chance in life.

The anger that flowed from Ozpin into her daughter now flowed through Salem. Hatred to the man that had ruined her future all because of his prejudice to the beings that inhabited the world. Anger that had been able to be extracted from her daughter allowing for her to live a semi normal life. Anger that drove Salem's beloved partner into hiding along with her daughter. Anger that started this war, and anger that was going to end it as well.

Salem sighed, her trembling rage finally soothing itself. "I will find you my beloved daughter. And when I do, we will set this world straight to ensure no one else shall be wronged like you have." Salem watched the horizon, below her the tar like pits oozed grimm out.

In a far off distance a young woman walked through the deserts of Vacuo. She felt a sudden urge of anger pulse through her body as she made her ways toward a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom. She paused for a moment and looked off behind her. She didn't understand why she felt the anger so strongly, but she did and it took all her willpower to not fall victim to the anger. Taking short, but steady breaths she continued to walk.

"Why couldn't you have left me better instructions than 'Belladonnas' old man," she murmured. Her deep red eyes scanned the desert as she walked. Not wanting to be stranded in the desert during the night she stepped into her four legged form and began running to the village. Her anger was nonexistent, and her mind was fully clear, but she always knew that lurking deep inside herself was a beast that would take hold whenever it could.

* * *

 **So this was an idea I've been throwing around in my head for a bit. And yeah, sorry for the sequel bate... Don't know if I'm going to write one or not...  
**

 **I do think it's interesting that we don't have a reason as to why Salem is doing what she's doing, and I just keep thinking about what Oz said in V1 about how he's made more mistakes than the average man.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this little thing.**

 **-Nerdzz**


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